Tea Blog

Name: Double Spice Chai (included in the Chai Tea Sampler)

Brand: Stash

Type: Black tea, flavored

Form: Paper tea bag, individually wrapped

Review: Cold nights are here, and even the days, particularly the mornings, can get a bit chilly. Time for spicy hot drinks.

Chai, perhaps?

Stash actually sells several different chai blends, ranging from “regular” chai to a chai based on white tea. They offer a sample pack that lets you try them all, including their double-spice chai, which kicks up the intensity by adding coriander to their blend of Indian black tea, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, clove, and then upping the cardamom content. The result is a very strong, very pungent tea, in which the cardamom dominates at first sip, but then the coriander overwhelms the finish.

I do detect some of the black tea in the blend, and the ginger and other spices give it a hint of sweetness, but this is mainly a cardamom/coriander lover’s chai. (Not that this is a bad thing: I happen to like both spices.) If you prefer a more balanced spiced tea, I’d suggest looking further. On the other hand, this beautiful, dark amber colored, medium bodied tea is just the thing if you like a strong, serious chai. Even better, it is very convenient to make: Just pop the teabag out from its foil pouch, add boiling water, and you’ll have your drink in a few minutes.

Serving Tips: This is an intense chai blend that may be a bit too much on its own for some people. Keep some dairy milk or vanilla almond milk on hand for blending, and you might even want to add some sweetener if you find the coriander and cardamom too pungent. This would make an excellent iced chai, as its flavors are strong enough to stand out even after being chilled.

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